Trucker shot in botched robbery in Minnesota; suspect in custody

By Greg Grisolano, Land Line staff writer | Tuesday, November 11, 2014

A man accused of shooting a trucker in the head following what police say may have been a botched robbery at a Minnesota grocery store over the weekend is being held on charges of attempted murder.

The suspect is 28-year-old Kelly Neal Anderson, of Albertville, Minn. Anderson is suspected in the shooting of an unidentified trucker who was wounded at around 5 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8, in the parking lot of a grocery store in Eden Prairie, Minn.

The victim, a 58-year-old male from River Falls, Wis., was conscious and transported to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he remains hospitalized, according to a news release issued by the Eden Prairie police. Responding officers discovered the victim next to a parked semi-truck, suffering from severe head trauma and a gunshot wound to the head.

While investigating the incident, Eden Prairie Police were notified of Anderson, who had been encountered by the Minnesota State Patrol while walking along Highway 169 North. He was being interviewed by the Bloomington Police Department.

Anderson was arrested under probable cause for attempted second-degree murder, first-degree aggravated robbery and first-degree assault. He is being held in the Hennepin County Jail.

Investigators later recovered a handgun believed to be involved in the shooting, near the area where the victim was found.

Eden Prairie police Sgt. Matt Sackett said in a phone interview with Land Line that evidence indicates Anderson and the victim were unknown to one another, and the injuries sustained by the victim were the result of an attempted robbery.

Sackett said the case has been referred to the Hennepin County Attorney for a charging decision, and he referred additional questions about the case to that office.